Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Afghan war book wins Orwell Prize for political writing

23 May 2012 - BBC

Toby Harnden is the US editor
of the Daily Mail

A book about the death of a British
officer in Afghanistan, once pulped by the Ministry of Defence, has won the
Orwell Prize for political writing.

Dead Men Risen, written by Toby Harnden and published by Quercus, took the
prize at a ceremony in Westminster and was the judges' unanimous choice.
It focuses on the death of Lt Colonel Rupert Thorneloe in 2009.

It was published in amended form after the first print run was destroyed by
the MoD.

The judges said the book "takes us into the hearts and minds of the Welsh
Guards in a way that is both interesting and visceral".
"It challenges every citizen of this country to examine exactly what we're
asking soldiers to do in Afghanistan," the panel continued.
"Rather than offering easy answers it lets the soldiers speak for
themselves."
Other awards presented included a posthumous honour for Christopher Hitchens,
whose final book, Arguably, was included on the long list for the top prize.
Hitchens' widow Carol Blue accepted the award on behalf of the Vanity Fair
writer.
The journalism prize was awarded to Amelia Gentleman for her work in The
Guardian, while the blog award went to Rangers Tax Case - an online commentary
on the ongoing financial problems at the historic Scottish football club.
The writers of the blog said they aimed to "provide the details of what
Rangers FC have done, why it was illegal and what the implications are for one
of the largest football clubs in Britain".
The winners were chosen from shortlists of six books, six journalists and
seven bloggers, whittled down from longlists of 17 books, 12 journalists and 18
bloggers.
Each of the winners received a £3,000 prize.